Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has called on social media companies to require users to verify their identities after teammate Paul Pogba was targeted on Twitter with racial abuse.

LONDON — Manchester United defender Harry Maguire called on social media companies to require users to verify their identities after teammate Paul Pogba was targeted on Twitter with racial abuse.

Racially offensive tweets about Pogba were posted after his penalty kick was saved in United's 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League on Monday.

The 20-time English champions said they "encourage social media companies to take action in these cases" and Maguire offered a solution.

"Every account that is opened should be verified by a passport/driving license. Stop these pathetic trolls making numerous accounts to abuse people," Maguire tweeted on Tuesday.

Former United defender Phil Neville, who coaches the England women's team, called for a six-month boycott of social media companies, saying he had "lost total faith."

Twitter said it "permanently suspended a series of accounts" for sending racist abuse to players.

"This is a societal issue and requires a societal response," Twitter said in a statement. "We continue to liaise closely with our partners to identify meaningful solutions to this unacceptable behaviour — both offline and on."

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